Check the date on this article: February 2, 2022.

It's a new day, but the same story for the Georgia basketball team. The Bulldogs (6-16, 1-8 SEC) faltered in the second half on their way to a 99-73 loss to Arkansas (17-5, 6-3) on Wednesday night at Stegeman Coliseum.

"It's a rare team that can overcome on the defensive end and have a stop mentality and be locked into all the things that have to happen with the communication, switching, when you're not making shots on offense," Crean said. "We don't have that maturity. We do not have that maturity, and it's an issue."

The first half served as an offensive showcase for both teams. Arkansas shot 59.5 percent from the floor, while Georgia shot 58 percent. The Razorbacks took a 53-47 lead into the halftime locker room.

Putting 40 minutes of basketball together has been an issue for Georgia all year. While both offenses were expected to average out a bit, the Bulldogs were right in the game with a quality opponent.

That is, until they weren't. Arkansas opened the second period on a 12-2 run, opening up a 65-49 advantage.

"I would just say we lost the energy of the team," Georgia sophomore Kario Oquendo said. "Most of the time we come out in the second half, and we’ll have energy, but the last couple of games we’ve come out with no energy, and that’s letting the team get up by 10 or 15 points. So, we got to figure out how to change that."

Georgia's offense swung to the other end of the spectrum, shooting just 34.5 percent in the second half. Arkansas, however, stayed hot and made 53 percent of its shots in the final period.

"We don't play defense. We don't score on offense," graduate transfer guard Aaron Cook said. "Who cares if you don't score on offense? You got to get a stop. When you don't play defense, you can't win games."

Georgia never mounted a serious charge. After leading by as many as eight in the first half, the Bulldogs lost by 26 at home.

The 99 points are the most allowed by the Bulldogs this season. The 26-point margin of defeat is also the largest of the season.

"When you lose a game like this, it becomes a mirror test," Crean said. "You look in your own mirror, not the two-way mirror or the funny mirror, your own mirror and say, 'Okay, what could I have done better?' That's what players, leaders, whoever it is, freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors have to be able to do it, and starts with the coaches, too, starts with me."

Georgia returns to action on Saturday afternoon when it hosts No. 1 Auburn at Stegeman Coliseum. Tip-off is set for 1:00, and the game will be televised on SEC Network.